Dramatic Drama in a Steakhouse
by Guy Buddy
Summary: A year after World Tour, Duncan comes across his ex girlfriends and their new boyfriends. This isn't going to be awkward at all, right?


Duncan, former winner of Total Drama Action, parked his rental car in front of the fairly upscale Steakhouse. He snorted, before taking the keys out of the ignition, pocketing them, stepping out and walking into the restaurant.

"Hello, do you have a reservation with us today asked the greeter, a young brunette woman. Duncan put on his best suave smile.

" I don't dollface, but are you sure you can't make an exception?" The young woman's face remained implacable, while Duncan's grin faltered before failing.

" I'm sorry sir, without a reservation, it's a 5 minute wait." The young woman looked down at her reservation book.

In the process of waiting, the green-mohawked delinquent found himself looking all around the restaurant from where he was standing. He soon found himself staring at someone he hoped he wouldn't have to see the whole weekend.

Courtney. The year since World Tour had ended had been the last time he had seen her. She was working on her PDA, completely oblivious to the fact that her ex-boyfriend was staring at her from across the room.

Duncan heard her before he saw the Goth.

"Oh...hey, Duncan."

Duncan swiveled his head around to see his most recent ex-girlfriend...and her new boyfriend.

" Pastey...Alejandro….fancy seeing you here."

" Hello Duncan." Gwen said coldly.

" Hola Bromigo, how have you been?"

" Alright, I guess. Sucks we all had to be brought back for this stupid reunion."

Gwen just continued to look annoyed.

" So the rumours are true? You two actually dating?"

" Indeed." Alejandro replied curtly.

" Sir." Duncan turned around to the woman holding the reservation book."We have a table for you."

" Ah, Senorita! We have a reservation here!" Alejandro waved his arm to get her attention.

"Name?" Her eyes stayed peeled to the list of names.

" It's under Burromuerto."

" Oh Mr. Burromuerto! Right this way."

Alejandro and Gwen sat down at the table, while Duncan was sat in between their table and Courtney's table.

The previously happy Courtney's smile turned into a grimace when she saw the three.

" Hello Gwen, Alejandro ...Duncan." The delinquent winced as she spat out his name, but quickly recovered.

"Hola Courtney, are you here alone?" Courtney's frown twisted again, this time into a smirk.

" Actually I'm on a date."

" Well where are they?" asked Gwen, careful to keep her tone as even as possible

" He's in the restroom."

" Anybody we know?" Duncan asked, sounding annoyed

" Oh, it's someone you're very familiar with."

Gwen walked up next to Duncan, completely ignoring him and looking only at Courtney.

" Courtney...could we talk?'

" I'm not sure what we have to talk about." Courtney's tone reeked of dismissiveness.

" I never apologized." Gwen's voice cracked just a bit,"I'm sorry...and I'm especially sorry it's taken me so long to." Alejandro butted in.

" Senorita, obviously it's going to take some time for you and her to become good friends. Please, just let us sit here." Courtney looked conflicted.

" Hey Gwen!" said Cody coming from the direction of the bathroom.

" Hey Cody...what are you doing here?" Gwen sounded happy, but confused at the same time.

" Pfft, the dweeb's probably Princesses's hot date."

" He is." Courtney said smugly while Duncan's mouth went open in shock. Meanwhile Alejandro saw his chance and jumped on it.

" Cody, what do you say me and Gwen sit with you and Courtney?" Alejandro put on a small smile." I'll pay for the whole bill."

" That sounds great." Courtney shot an annoyed glare the tech geek's direction.

" Dulzura" Alejandro pulled out a chair for Gwen. The Goth sat down, blushing.

" Huh, so you guys really are a couple?" asked Cody, sitting down." How'd that happen?"

" It's a funny story. Gwen was taking commissions for her artwork after the show ended. I ended up needing a portrait of me and my brother Jose done for my Mother's birthday, and she was the cheapest option."

"Such a romantic" Gwen muttered sarcastically, though a small smile remained on her face.

" Dulzura, the portrait was fantastic. So fantastic it was only right of my mother to invite you to dinner at our home"

"It was so awkward! His mom thought I was his girlfriend from the show. She called me Heather!" She shivered on the Queen Bee's name. Cody guffawed, and everyone else at the table looked at him strangely.

" I'll explain later."

" After that, we started having chats over coffee every now and again."

Courtney butted in.

" So Bridgette wasn't full of it." Courtney muttered

" Bridge knew!" Gwen looked shocked, eyes wide open.

" Well, she didn't know, but apparently Sierra had been spreading the news around and Bridgette ended up sharing it with me. She was miffed."

" Understandably so, I almost ruined her relationship with her beloved. I cannot blame her for holding a grudge."

" Just give her some time, I'm sure if she gets to meet the non-competition you, she'll be able to forgive."

" But that's enough about us, how did you two end up together?' His tone was a bit disbelieving, as though he did not trust his eyes.

Cody looked downward.

" It's not really my story to tell…"

" I know what it must look like, him ending up with me even after the way I treated him in Season 3." Courtney butted in, her tone equal parts sadness and happiness, "Turns out Cody went to the same school as me. After World Tour, I was a social pariah. I was the victim of all the gossip on campus, they keyed my car, they TP-ed my house. And Cody, knowing just how hated I was...still offered friendship when I needed it the most.

Cody listened when I needed someone who was willing to listen...he stood by my side when the paparazzi were hounding me after you and Duncan broke up, asking for my opinion"

" After Sierra, I could relate." Cody said self consciously.

" And Cody also managed to grow a backbone after World Tour ended, and he stood up to me...and unlike some people " Even with his back to the C.I.T. and chewing on the free bread, Duncan could feel her eyes drilling daggers into him "He tried to help me improve."

" How so?" Alejandro inquired.

" He helped me to move past my rage...he helped me to have fun again ...and he did those things when we were just friends. So eventually, I asked him if we could be more."

Duncan seethed. S_he asked him? She asked him?! She asked the pathetic dweeb to be the followup boyfriend after him?_

Duncan gritted his teeth, before taking another big bite out of a breadstick.

_Well. most sequels suck, and this is no exception._

" Wow...well, you two seem happy" Gwen chimed in with a nervous smile.

" Oh yes, it is so much nicer to have a boyfriend who actually listens when I speak. Watch this: Cody, what's my Cousin's name?"

" Arnold" Cody answered after a moment's hesitation.

" Favorite actor?"

" Jose Barkem."

" Favorite actress?"

" Taylor Foy" Cody put a finger to his thumb, mimicking the thinker pose, " Well her, or Andrea Stacy"

" Most impressive." Alejandro conceded, ignoring the growls of Duncan." I'm glad you were able to find someone, senorita."

" Find a worthless nerd, maybe," Duncan said under his breath. Courtney, however heard him and frowned.

" You got something to say, Duncan?" Alejandro, Gwen, and Courtney's eyes widened as it was normally meek Cody who asked the question.

" Pfft, Geek, believe me, you really don't want that question answered."

" Oh I think I do."

" Alright" Duncan leaned forward and stared right into the teal eyes of Total Drama's resident Tech Geek, " You're a pathetic excuse for a boy, let alone a man. The only reason Princess here is talking you up is because she's trying to make me jealous. You're nothing more than her horny lapdog ...you probably perform tricks for Malibu and the other chicks to make it seem like you're actually going to be a decent boyfriend, when the truth is that you'd leave little miss crazy herein a second if a better option made itself known."

"Wow" Cody looked shocked while Duncan grinned, " ...That is some world class projecting ...like, seriously, if projecting was an olympic sport, you'd be taking home the bronze easily, maybe even the silver." Alejandro chuckled at this, enjoying the direction this was heading very much. Duncan's grin fell off his face.

"I'm not with Courtney because there's no better option, and if I felt that way, I wouldn't have screamed 'yes' when she asked me. And I don't 'perform' tricks for Bridgette or anybody else to convince them I'm going to be a good boyfriend."

" Please, then what do you call that thing you just did?" Duncan snorted after asking.

" Listening to her when she talks and caring enough to remember, I know it might seem ridiculous for someone like you to even consider giving a damn about anybody else's opinions but I actually like talking with my girlfriend.".

" Doesn't change the fact that little miss C.I.T. is a crazy bi…"

" She's not crazy! Driven, yes. Determined, hell yeah! But she's not crazy just because she actually cares enough to put all of herself into everything she does, unlike you." Cody's voice was rising in volume.

" You think she's crazy! The only crazy one here is you, you self-entitled, cheating, opportunity wasting, friend using, nerd hating weakling!"

" Weakling?! Those are big words for such a small man."

" Oh, knock it off! I knocked you out on International television with one punch, nobody's buying your tough guy act anymore...and even before that, Harold made you look like a fool on Action! Now unless you want a repeat of that, you will treat me and my girlfriend with a modicum of respect, or you will keep your mouth shut!"

Duncan's face betrayed no emotion, as he merely rolled his eyes and turned his back to the geek. Cody took a couple of deep breaths before sitting down. He sheepishly looked around him, at the arch-villain of World Tour, his Gothic crush of Island, and his current girlfriend, before giving a small smile. That smile evaporated as Courtney had a very odd look on her face that Cody couldn't place.

" I didn't say anything wrong, did…" Cody's words died in his throat when Courtney kissed him.

This was apparently enough for Duncan as he huffed, and he puffed, and he stood up and stormed out of the restaurant.

Duncan stomped his way out of the restaurant only to bump into another old frenemy ...and his date.

" Watch where you're walking, dweeb."

" You walked into him, moron." Heather retorted back.

" What are you two doing here, are you on a date?" Duncan asked, his sarcastic smile large and ugly looking.

" As a matter of fact, we are" Heather replied, sounding as haughty as normal despite the fact that she was on a date with Harold

" HAS THE WHOLE WORLD LOST IT'S MIND!?" Duncan shouted to the Heavens before sprinting to his car and peeling out of the parking lot

Harold ignored this, walked up to the door and held it open.

" M, Lady" Heather scoffed, yet blushed.


End file.
